Mass Effect: Andromeda is BioWare’s latest installment in the Mass Effect franchise. It is an action role-playing, third-person shooter game that was published by Electronic Arts in March 2017. The game is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.

The game starts in the 22nd century where humanity is on the move to populate the new home worlds in the Andromeda Galaxy. The player has a chance to play as either Scott or Sara Ryder, as an inexperienced military recruit who wakes up in Andromeda after a 634-year journey. The main mission is to find a new homeworld for humanity while dealing with an alien raced called Kett.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is a little bit different than the previous installments. BioWare has emphasized more open world elements and exploration is a big part of the game as well. The combat is refreshed and improved. Instead of being cover-based it is now more mobile and fast-paced.

The gameplay is vastly improved as well. Unlike previous installments, in Mass Effect: Andromeda, the player doesn’t need to choose a class right away, instead, the player has a free rein to spend points into any skill they want in order to build towards a specialty over the course of the game. Andromeda also keeps the player interaction with the characters in the game. Every dialog is met with a couple of choices for a response that shapes the relationship with each character in the game. The player can develop a friendship, or a romantic relationship with pretty much every in-game character.

Taking a look on the exploration side, Andromeda still has the main character on his ship’s bridge overlooking the stars. Using the galaxy map, the player can choose a navigation point and quickly travel to it. There are plenty of primary planets and over a dozen hub worlds that connect the player to the wide range of primary and optional quests that need to be completed. All planets are open world, which means the player can explore them while driving the Nomad, a six-wheel vehicle. While exploring the world, the player has a chance to scan the planet’s terrain for resources. To make the open world aspect even more interesting, BioWare has added environmental hazards to a couple of the planets. For instance, there is a planet where the player must avoid the heat to prevent taking damage.

As mentioned, Mass Effect: Andromeda has a different take on the combat. The shooting and the fighting takes place in real-time. The option for pausing the game to aim and use skills is no longer a feature. On top of that, when the player finds himself near an object, the character will automatically take caver, thus providing the player with protection in battle. BioWare has done a great job of engaging and encouraging the player to stay on the move during combat. The battlefields are large and the enemies attack from all angles.